


After Midnight

by The_cazycat



Category: Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Angst, F/F, First Time, Fluff, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:48:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23395021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_cazycat/pseuds/The_cazycat
Summary: Seven of Nine and Raffi keep giving each other mixed signals, until the inevitable happens. Even more confusion follows.
Relationships: Raffi Musiker/Seven of Nine
Comments: 16
Kudos: 80





	After Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> Since they barely talked during season one of Picard, I wanted to imagine how the relationship between Seven and Raffi might evolve, at least at the very beginning. This is what I'd like to see happen in season two!
> 
> English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes.

\- … and I said: do you really want me to open my bag? Are you absolutely, completely positive? Ha! And he got so scared! –

Everyone at the table laughed out loudly. They were having a nice dinner, all together gathered around a table, to celebrate their first month of travels as a crew. They had spent a nice evening recalling their adventures, telling stories and eating some of the best food they could get from the ship's replicators.

Picard continued his story: - I tell you my friends, he let me go without even looking at me in the eyes! So scared of an eighty-years old man without a single weapon. -

\- It’s because you’re a great actor, JL - said Raffi, raising a glass of red wine - it’s all in the eyes. -  
\- I say it’s the posture. The gestures. You have to look totally convinced. - said Seven of Nine.

\- You’re good with that - said Elnor - you always look so fierce! Like you’re about to punch someone. -

Rios and Agnes, sitting closely in front of the young man, laughed. Soji chuckled as well, putting a strand of black hair behind her ear.

Seven smiled: - I’ll take that as a compliment. -  
\- It was a compliment! - said Elnor, widening his eyes, enthusiastic as always.

\- Well I agree with the boy - said Raffi, looking at the ex Borg woman - nobody could ever want to mess up with you. - she continued.  
\- Actually I’m not that bad, when you get to know me better. - Seven replied, looking at her directly in the eyes. Raffi smiled and looked away, embarrassed.  
An awkward silence followed, interrupted only by the sound of Picard’s voice: -Well it’s past midnight, guys. We need to be up early tomorrow. -  
\- Yeah, yeah, right - followed up Rios - I want everyone on deck by eight sharp. -  
\- Yes Captain! - said Agnes, cheerfully.

The group said their goodnights and split up in different directions, everyone headed towards their own cabin. Raffi decided to stay a few more minutes to put away plates and glasses.

Was Seven flirting with her, minutes before? It had been like that between them since she joined their crew permanently. Both had been sending confusing signals at each other. Seven flirted then didn’t speak with her for days. The ex Borg was a beautiful, strong woman, and receiving even a little bit of attention from someone so stunning had been thrilling. But after a while Raffi had started wondering where all of this was headed. Even stolen glances or light touch felt very intense, full of expectations.

They had held hands once, while playing a kal-toh game in front of a bottle of bourbon. Raffi remembered all too well the warmth she had felt when their fingers intertwined. She was pretty sure it wasn’t just the bourbon. And Raffi was not the type to miss an opportunity to jump in bed with someone hot, so why was it taking so long to happen? The fact that she even wondered so much about this was pretty astonishing. She hadn’t felt this way about anyone in a long time.

She finished cleaning and turned around, ready to bring her thoughts to her room. Then she noticed Seven of Nine sitting at the table, staring at her.  
\- Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t… I thought you left. -  
The other woman stood up in a swirl of blonde hair and took a few steps towards Raffi: - Can I walk you to your quarters? – she said with a husky voice.  
Raffi smiled, then looked down at her feet, nervously: - Are you afraid I might make some bad encounters on the way? – She knew she was blushing, partially due to the wine they had been drinking during dinner. But she also felt nervous, anxious. When Seven was around her Raffi was overcome by an unusual shyness. Especially when they were alone. Especially when she could feel her blue eyes observing her, watching her.  
Seven of Nine didn’t answer right away, waiting until Raffi finally lifted her chin and met her gaze.  
\- Well, maybe I am. Strange things can happen after midnight – she said, her head tilted on one side.

\- We can walk together I guess – replied Raffi, trying to appear nonchalant. The tone of her voice was a little higher than intended.  
The corridors of La Sirena were empty, silent, with the exception of some occasional metallic creaking.  
\- Did you enjoy dinner? – asked Seven. She was walking slowly, with her hands behind her back.  
\- Hmm, yeah, it wasn’t bad – said Raffi – but I feel like food in space tastes differently. You know. Compared to what you would taste in, let’s say, a nice pub on earth. –  
\- Hm, pubs. I remember those. -  
\- You’ve been to earth? –  
\- Yes. I’ve lived there for a while, actually – replied the blonde.  
\- Do you miss it? –  
\- Not really. I don’t have a profound connection to earth. To anyone, anywhere, actually. –  
Seven didn’t look sad when she uttered those words, she was just stating a fact. Nevertheless, Raffi felt the sudden need to comfort her. She reached out to touch Seven’s arm, then let her hand slide down until she met the other’s fingers. Seven turned and smiled at her with affection.  
\- Well, you have us, now. –

They walked like this, holding hands and not speaking much, until they arrived in front of Raffi’s door.

\- Well, here I am – said the human, stopping to face Seven, her back to the door.  
The ex Borg nodded. There was a strand of blonde hair on her face and Raffi brushed it behind her ear. Seven’s expression changed slightly, and Raffi could see a hint of something new. A hunger, an anticipation. But she didn’t make a move, didn’t speak. She was holding back, for some reason.  
\- Goodnight, I guess? – Raffi whispered in a breath of voice.

She waited a few seconds, then started turning to open the door to her room.

\- No, wait. -  
\- Yes? -  
\- I… I like you. -  
Raffi let out a sigh of relief: - Good. I like you too. -  
\- Very much so. It’s just… - the ex Borg looked down at her hands with just a hint of embarrassment - I’m afraid to complicate things. I haven’t been very lucky in my previous experiments with relationships. Especially romantic ones. -  
\- I can relate. Believe me - Raffi chuckled.

\- So - she continued - you want to get to know me better, see if we… make sense. I get that. -  
\- Yes. Right. If we make sense. -  
\- Ok. We can do it, no problem. -  
\- Good. -  
\- So… see you tomorrow? -

  
Seven nodded, then took a deep breath and opened her mouth to reply. Not a sound escaped her lips.

Instead, she made a step forward and took both of Raffi’s hands into hers, pulling her closer. Their noses brushed for a second, their foreheads almost touching. Their lips crashed together into a long, languid kiss. Raffi felt Seven’s arms slowly wrapping around her, holding her close to her body in a strong embrace. Raffi grasped her face with one hand, the other laced behind the ex Borg’s neck. Seven’s fingers started digging into Raffi’s back, clutching to the fabric of her shirt, almost trying to rip it apart.  
Raffi broke the kiss for a moment, her thumb resting on Seven’s lower lip: - Do you want to…? –  
\- Yeah – was Seven’s simple answer.

They stumbled inside, almost tripping over the few pieces of furniture in Raffi’s room. They quickly fell into bed laughing at their own clumsiness, at their urgency, their early wake-up call of tomorrow momentarily forgotten.

*

The following morning Raffi was the last to join the crew on deck.  
\- You’re late. – Picard grumbled, but she could see he was smiling.  
\- Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry, I didn’t sleep much. – then she quickly corrected herself – I mean… well. I didn’t sleep well. – Picard’s smile grew even wider. – It’s ok. –  
She could swear the old man knew everything already.

\- No it’s not ok, andale! – said Rios, waving his hands - We’re gonna be late to our rendezvous. You know – said the man, pointing a finger at her – we almost left without waiting for you. –  
\- Oh yeah? And how were you planning on getting access to the docking station without my help? Do you know someone there who would allow an unidentified ship to land? – said Raffi, dropping heavily on her seat.  
Rios took a breath of his big cigar. – That’s right, we need you to reach out to your contact there to grant us access. That’s why we waited. –  
Then he looked on his right: - Are we ready, Seven? –

\- We sure are. – replied the woman. Raffi quickly looked at her, trying not to be noticed by anyone, especially by her. She looked perfectly fine, fresh as if she had a whole night of good sleep. Maybe being an ex Borg meant you got more stamina, or maybe Seven just didn’t need as much sleep as she did. Who knew when she got back to her quarters, anyway. When Raffi had woken up that morning, Seven had vanished. No traces left of her whatsoever.

Raffi had even wondered for a moment if it hadn’t been just a dream, but she quickly realized it wasn’t possible. She could still feel Seven’s blonde hair brushing on her chest, her breath on her face. Her teeth biting on her shoulder, her lips sucking one of her earlobes, kissing the spot between her beasts. Her hands touching a particular area at the base of her neck, where the skin was soft, and making her moan. Her fingers caressing her belly, then brushing the inside of one of her tights. Her hands…

\- Hello? – Rios snapped his fingers loudly in front of the woman. Raffi jumped and went back to the present.  
\- Sorry! Let me… let me get some coffee. –  
\- Yeah, good idea. – said Rios.  
\- I’ll be back in five. – she said, jumping off her seat.

Raffi rushed down the stairs and went directly to the food replicator. She quickly selected a cup of black coffee, and a mug with a dark liquid suddenly materialized in front of her. She grabbed it, took a sip and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. Not bad, but as she said the other night, not quite the same as on earth.  
She took in a deep breath, trying to compose herself.  
“Come on, you can do it” she thought “ don’t let a pair of blue eyes mess you up like this. Incredible blue eyes, to be fair. And beautiful, soft lips. And soft, delicate, white skin…”  
\- Fuck! – Raffi said, turning around.

\- Woah! – yelled Seven. She was standing right behind her. Raffi was caught completely off guard and almost spilled all the coffee on the floor. That ex Borg apparently could move as silently as a cat.  
\- Oh my god! –  
\- Sorry – said Seven – I just came to check on you. Are you feeling alright? –

Raffi cleared her throat, then took another sip of her coffee, or at least what was left of it.  
\- Yeah. Sure. Why? –  
\- I don’t know. You looked a bit… weird. –  
\- I’ll be ok as soon as I finish this – she said smiling and raising her mug.  
Seven smiled back at her, then she took a step closer: - Hey. - she said in a lower tone of voice.  
She put one hand on Raffi’s cheek, but the other woman swiftly escaped from her touch.  
\- Something’s wrong. What is it? -  
\- Nah, it’s fine, really – Raffi said with a shrug. Then she added quickly: - Is just that… I am… confused. -  
\- By what? -  
\- By waking up and finding myself… alone. This morning. Why did you disappear like that? -  
\- Oh. -  
\- No I mean… it's fine, maybe I misunderstood something and I... -  
\- Actually, I assumed it was for the best. It's about efficiency. -  
\- Efficiency? -  
\- Yeah. It was much more efficient for me to go back to my quarters. Sleep in my bed. Change my clothes for the day. Staying with you for the night would have meant presenting myself unprepared for my duty today. -  
\- Wow. That's a bit.. harsh. - said Raffi, a hint of sarcasm in her voice - but… ok. Whatever. -  
\- It's a habit of mine. A… bad habit, I guess. -

Seven reached out again, putting both hands on Raffi's shoulder - Please believe me, I didn't want to upset you. -

This time Raffi didn't retract from her touch.

\- Ok. Fine. -  
\- Really? -  
\- Yeah. -  
\- You sure? -  
\- Do you want me to put it in writing or something? -  
Seven laughed and let her hands slide down on Raffi's arms, then encircled her waist, pulling her closer. Raffi joined her hands behind Seven's neck.  
\- At least wake me up to say goodbye next time. Ok? - said Raffi, her voice more relaxed now.  
\- I will. -  
\- Or just… stay? -  
\- We’ll see about that. - Raffi laughed at Seven's cautiousness.  
\- This efficiency thing, is it a… Borg thing? -  
\- Maybe. I think so. After all this time I'm still not one-hundred-percent sure of what's them and what's me. -  
\- Your past it's part of your charm, I guess. -  
\- You didn't mind me being efficient when we were in bed last night, if I recall correctly. - said Seven with a smirk.  
\- Oh, shut up. - said Raffi, and proceeded to kiss the insolent ex Borg.

After a few seconds Seven slowly broke the kiss - I think we better go back upstairs. -  
\- I'll join you in a second - agreed Raffi.  
She reluctantly let the other woman go, clasping her hand until the last second. She watched her athletic figure climb the stairs and disappear on deck.  
\- God she's hot. - she muttered.

\- Indeed she is, my friend.-

Rios emerged from a dark corner of the room, with a big smile on his face and his arms crossed.

\- What is it with everybody today! Were you standing there the whole time? - yelled the woman.  
\- Only during the relevant part. -  
Raffi stared at him, hands on her waist, visibly annoyed.  
\- What? - continued Rios, slowly opening his arms with the palms of his hands up - I just wanted to see if you were doing ok. But that - and he pointed in the spot where Seven was just a few seconds ago - explains a lot. –

\- Oh, what can I say – said Raffi letting out a sigh.

She scratched her head, then continued with a shrug: - Strange things can happen after midnight. -

Then she went up the stairs to join the rest of the crew, leaving behind one confused Captain.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been a lurker here for a looong time and this is the first story I'm posting, so I'd love to hear some of your feedback! :)


End file.
